Muskegon man's trial on first-degree felony murder charge begins

Less than three weeks after his co-defendant was convicted, a Semaj Ramone Lawson, 20, went on trial Wednesday on a charge of first-degree felony murder.

Semaj Ramone LawsonLawson, of 1296 Fifth, is on trial in the Jan. 8, 2009, shooting death of 31-year-old DeAndre Keith Jordan not far from Jordan's Muskegon Heights home. The jury trial is projected to take four or five days, concluding next week.

Jordan, of 2021 Howden, was accosted and shot as he walked home from a nearby convenience store where he had bought a bottle of beer. A homeowner who witnessed a struggle from his window called 911, but Jordan -- who spoke to paramedics and police after they arrived -- died before he could be transported to a hospital.

A few days after the killing, two men were arrested based on tips and police investigation: Lawson and Rodreakes Eugene Fountain, now 22, of Muskegon Heights.

Both were charged with open murder, and another jury May 14 found Fountain guilty of first-degree felony murder, the maximum charge. Fountain is scheduled for sentencing June 14, guaranteed a mandatory sentence of life in prison without chance of parole.

Jordan was still conscious, lying bleeding in the snow on Hackley Avenue, when rescue personnel and police arrived minutes after the 1:20 a.m. shooting. He had been shot twice. One bullet shattered his left wrist. The fatal shot entered the left side of his chest and sliced to the right through both lungs.

Police believe Jordan's cell phone and possibly his money were stolen from his pockets after he was shot.

Lawson's trial features many of the same witnesses and evidence as Fountain's.

According to testimony at Fountain's trial, the victim told police "two young black males robbed me. Two young black males shot me" and told paramedics "they beat me. They shot me. They hit me with a gun."